Review of The Elephant Tooth of '95
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Review of The Elephant Tooth of '95
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Elephant Tooth of '95" by Rana Baydoun.]
Graduating from college is an experience that most people look forward to. Some people worry about getting a job, some worry about paying debts, while some worry about working in a completely different field upon graduating from college. Rana Baydoun's The Elephant Tooth of '95 brought readers to the adventure of Noor Beyrouti, a freshly graduated 19-year-old with a degree in Nutrition and Food Technology into her adulthood.
As someone who only took the marketing class as an elective, working in the sales department had been a challenge for Noor. She had never properly written a market study or learned how to secure sales from clients. But along the way, she met wonderful people in the company who were kind and helpful to her. As she continuously showed her outstanding skills as a result of her colleagues' support, she experienced romance, heartbreak, loss, grief, and most importantly, growth. Read the book to learn about Noor and her shenanigans, and watch her transition from a naive girl to an independent working woman.
I must say that I adore the concept of the book. As someone who knows only a little about Lebanon and war, a story with the slice-of-life concept set in Lebanon gave me a hint of what life looks like there. The story was a bit slow-paced for a few chapters as Rana used the chapters to establish the characters. However, it progressed at a normal rate afterward as all characters were introduced to the reader. I applaud the author for writing the plot beginning at a slow pace as it fits the slice-of-life concept. In addition to that, the way the story was written in the first-person point of view allow me to become one with Noor as I was able to understand her thoughts and her perspective on life. The music which was included for every chapter gave me an even better understanding of Noor's emotions as the music set helped me to find the mood since I am usually an emotionally 'dry' person.
I did not encounter any grammatical errors which means that the book was professionally edited. However, I found several negative aspects that quite disturbed me while reading. I was quite frustrated with the abrupt ending because it did not seem like an open ending, but rather an unfinished story. I was displeased that the ending did not conclude Noor's journey and it felt like there could be more after the final scene. I was also frustrated with the absence of English translation for foreign phrases such as French or German. Although it looked like some basic greetings, it would be better to have the translations as footnotes. Since there wasn't any, it was quite irritating to stop the reading process to look up the meaning.
I will rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I did not give a higher rating due to the negative aspects mentioned earlier. I enjoyed the book and thus, it deserves the rating given. I will recommend this book to college students who are interested to learn about life after graduating or people who want to understand life as a war witness.
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The Elephant Tooth of '95
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Graduating from college is an experience that most people look forward to. Some people worry about getting a job, some worry about paying debts, while some worry about working in a completely different field upon graduating from college. Rana Baydoun's The Elephant Tooth of '95 brought readers to the adventure of Noor Beyrouti, a freshly graduated 19-year-old with a degree in Nutrition and Food Technology into her adulthood.
As someone who only took the marketing class as an elective, working in the sales department had been a challenge for Noor. She had never properly written a market study or learned how to secure sales from clients. But along the way, she met wonderful people in the company who were kind and helpful to her. As she continuously showed her outstanding skills as a result of her colleagues' support, she experienced romance, heartbreak, loss, grief, and most importantly, growth. Read the book to learn about Noor and her shenanigans, and watch her transition from a naive girl to an independent working woman.
I must say that I adore the concept of the book. As someone who knows only a little about Lebanon and war, a story with the slice-of-life concept set in Lebanon gave me a hint of what life looks like there. The story was a bit slow-paced for a few chapters as Rana used the chapters to establish the characters. However, it progressed at a normal rate afterward as all characters were introduced to the reader. I applaud the author for writing the plot beginning at a slow pace as it fits the slice-of-life concept. In addition to that, the way the story was written in the first-person point of view allow me to become one with Noor as I was able to understand her thoughts and her perspective on life. The music which was included for every chapter gave me an even better understanding of Noor's emotions as the music set helped me to find the mood since I am usually an emotionally 'dry' person.
I did not encounter any grammatical errors which means that the book was professionally edited. However, I found several negative aspects that quite disturbed me while reading. I was quite frustrated with the abrupt ending because it did not seem like an open ending, but rather an unfinished story. I was displeased that the ending did not conclude Noor's journey and it felt like there could be more after the final scene. I was also frustrated with the absence of English translation for foreign phrases such as French or German. Although it looked like some basic greetings, it would be better to have the translations as footnotes. Since there wasn't any, it was quite irritating to stop the reading process to look up the meaning.
I will rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I did not give a higher rating due to the negative aspects mentioned earlier. I enjoyed the book and thus, it deserves the rating given. I will recommend this book to college students who are interested to learn about life after graduating or people who want to understand life as a war witness.
******
The Elephant Tooth of '95
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The eSmith Eye Story by GranRan
